"----"
In her daze, Artemis seemed to hear someone calling her name.
It was a panicked cry.
It was a sorrowful call.
The intense pain coursing through her body told Artemis that those cries and calls undoubtedly belonged to the little ones under her protection.
The Elf Queen and her people.
The younger Goddesses of the God Race.
And the companions brought by that Hero.
They must have all seen what had happened to her by now, hadn't they?
She had intended to wash away her shame and return all the humiliation she had suffered in their previous battle to her opponent, yet this time, had she fallen for the very same trick again?
Not only had her chest been pierced through, but that familiar, icy death energy was constantly invading her body and corroding her from within. This was likely far more serious than the injuries she had sustained in their last battle, wasn't it?
Was her defeat inevitable?
Then after she fell, who would defeat these hateful enemies?
In one-thousandth of a second, such thoughts flashed through Artemis's mind.
In the end, Artemis reached a conclusion.
Once she fell, this battle would inevitably be lost.
After that, the God Race and the Elves would have no choice but to retreat.
Another defeat would become unavoidable.
But—
"Whether we lose or not doesn't really matter."
Even if the God Race and the Human Race suffered a total defeat now, as long as the Hero remained, they would still have hope. Sooner or later, they would reclaim victory and peace.
The real issue was the two enemies who had appeared before her.
Those two enemies were the true culprits behind everything—the true evil that had shattered peace and ignited war.
Only by defeating those two could the war end as